Slicing machine



Oct. 16, 1934. Q F, M. VAN BERKEL 1,977,461

I SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9, 1929 Patented UNITED STATES PATENT;

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Get. 16, 1934 smcme MACHINE I ,Cornelis F. M. van Berkel, Wassenaar, Netherlands, assignor to U. S. Slicing Machine Company, La Porte, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application December 9, 1929, Serial No. 412,657 In Great Britain April 11, 1929 5 Claims. (01. 146-102) The present invention. relates to slicing machinesof the type in which feed-movementsof the substance to be sliced toward a slicing knife, and relative slicing movements between the sub- 5 stance and knife, are effected for the purpose of cutting slices in. succession from said subsubstance generally being clamped upon a feed table or feed plate slidably mounted on a supporting table which, in turn, is fed in a direction such that the substance is carried past the slicing knife of the slicing machine.

In machines of this type, a means is usually provided along one edge of the supporting table or feed table for engaging the substance to be sliced to prevent the substance from being moved in a direction away from the cutting edge of the knife and in a direction parallel to the cutting plane of the knife.

Such a means usually comment onto the feed table.

also makes Such an arrangement it necessary to raise the clamping member higher on its support in order to make room forthe substance While it is being placed on the feed table.

One object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an abutment for. the purposes set forth which will not interfere with the placing of the substance on the feed table andwhich can be moved into a position where it will perform all of the useful functions of a rigid abutment. More specifically, my invention resides in providing a movable abutment member adapted to occupy a plurality of positions.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a pivoted abutment member having means for holding the same in various angular positions.

Still another object of this invention is, the provision of a pivotal connection between an abutment member and its support which will permit the abutment member to be readily moved into any'of a plurality of positions and which will automatically lock the abutment member in place in any of said positions.

In the drawing:- Fig. 1 represents aside elevation partly in section of a slicing machine embodying my invention; Figs. 2, -3

and 4 are detail views of the hinged connectionbetween the abutment plate and the supporting table.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, it will be noted that the base 1 is provided with a plurality of upstanding brackets 2 supporting guide bars 3 (only one of which is shown), upon which a supporting table 4 is slidably mounted in the usual manner. A feed table 5 is positioned over the horizontally extending portion 6 of the supporting table 4 and is adapted to move in a direction transversely to themovement of the supporting table 4 or in a direction towards the cutting plane of the knife 7. The supporting table 4 is reciprocated on the guide bars 3 and a second guide bar (not shown) arranged in parallel relation therewith on the other side of the base member 1. A fly-wheel 8 operated by a handle 9 rotates the crank 10 about the axis 11 by means of suit-- able gearing in the base member, such gearing being of well-known construction. The crank 10 is operatively connected to the supporting table I against longitudinal movement therein is adapted to be engaged by a feed nut 17 pivotally supported at 18 to the block 19 attached to the underside of the'feed table 5 just below the support 13. As the feed screw 16 is rotated by suitable feeding mechanism, not shown, the feed table 5 is given a .step-by-step movement towards the cutting plane of the knife in a Well-known manner. A pivoted lever 20 is adapted to operate the rod '21 extending through the support 13 into operative connection with the feed nut 17. The movement of the rod 21 in a downward direction causes the nut l'lto be thrown out of engagement with the feed screw whereas themovement of the rod in the opposite direction, causes the feed nut 17 to move" into engagement with the feed screw. A spring 22 normally urges the rod ,ina vertical direction so that the feed nut '17 is yieldingly heldin engagement with the feed screw 16. The block 19 also has a laterally exhorizontal portion 6 of the supporting table 14 to prevent movement of the feed table in a counterclockwise direction about the cylindrical guide portion 26 upon which it is mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of the feed screw.

The mechanism so far described does not constitute a part of the present invention but is merely shown for the purpose of illustrating one type of slicing machine to which my invention may be applied. I i i Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be noted that, as the slicing machine cuts into the substance being sliced, i. e., as the supporting table moves to the right, the substance has a tendency to move in a direction toward the left relatively to the feed table andsupporting table. I therefore provide an abutment plate 27 pivoted to the horizontal portion 6 of the supporting table and I also provide means for holding this abut ment plate in either the full line or' the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. This means comprises members 28 and 29 secured to the abutment plate 27 and horizontal portion 6 of the supporting table, respectively, said members 28 and 29 being pivotally connected to each other by means ofthe pivot pin 30. The pivot pin 30 may be secured to the member 29 by means of a screw-threaded portion 31 and prevented from rotation by the pins 32, or in any other wellknown manner. The members 28 and 29 are fastened to their respective members by means of the screws 33 and constitute a hinged joint between the abutment plate and horizontal portion 6 of the supporting table. The member 28 has lugs 34 having ratchet teeth 35 thereon shaped in the manner best illustrated in Fig. 4, and these teeth are adapted to co-operate with similarly shaped but oppositely arranged teeth 36 on the lugs 37 on the member 29, and it will be readily seen from an inspection of Fig. 4, that these teeth prevent movement of the abutment plate 2'? in one direction about the pivot pin 30, when the teeth are as shown in said figure.

. It will be noted, however, that spaces 38 are left between the opposed plain faces of adjacent lugs 34 and 3'7. Flat spiral springs 39 are arranged in the spaces 38 and surround the pivot pin 30. These springs normally urge the cooperating teeth of the lugs 34 and 37 toward each other and thereby prevent accidental disengagement of said teeth.

When the abutment plate is in the full line position shown in Fig. l and it is desired to move the same to the dotted line position shown in the same figure, it is only necessary to move the abutment plate longitudinally ofthe pivot pin 30 against the action of the springs 39 so that the opposed teeth on the. lugs 34 and 37 are then rotate the abutment plate about the pivot pin 30 into the dotted line position. The knob 40 on the abutment plate 27 is provided to assist in performing the operation just described. When it is desired to again raise the abutment plate into the full line position, it is only necessary to give the abutment plate a clockwise movement about its pivot in View of the fact that the spring 39 willpermit the co-operating teeth 35 and 36 to ride over each other due to the camming action of thesloping surfaces on the teeth.

' Witha device constructed according to this invention, if it is desired to place a" substance to be sliced upon the feed table 5, the abutment plate is moved into the dotted line position, the substance being' moved in a substantially horizontal direction onto the feed table 5. Thereafter, the clamping member 14 is brought down onto'the substance so as to clamp the same against the plane ofsaid knife, an abutment plate on the feed table, and the abutment 27 is moved into the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to form a means for preventing movement of the substance to be sliced in a direction away from the cutting edge of the slicing knife.

It will be understood that, if desired, I may provide a plurality of hinged connections between the abutment 2'7 and the horizontal portion 6 of the supporting table, or, if desired, the abutment plate may be slid downwardly in suitable guides so as to place the same in a position in which it will not interfere with the placing of the substance on the feed table of the slicing machine, or any other means may be provided for moving the abutment plate from an operative to an inoperative position. Furthermore, I do not wish to limit myself to having the plate pivoted to the supporting table as it is within the scope of my invention to have it pivoted to the feed table instead.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make variouschanges in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims hereto appended, and I therefore do not wish to be restricted tothe precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus fully disclosed an embodiment of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of a Work support, means for moving said knife and work support relatively to each other so thata substance mounted on said support may be presented to said knife and slices be cut therefrom by said knife, feeding mechanism for feeding said substance along said support, and a substance engaging abutment member on the side of said support away from said knife adapted to occupy a position extending upwardly at a substantial angle to said support to act as an abutment for resisting the movement of the substance away from the knife as the knife iscutting through the substance, said abut- I ment plate being movable solely by manual pressure applied thereto to and from a position in which the same does not obstruct the operators side of the support and permits the operator to insert'the substance to be sliced onto said support,'said abutment plate and support being provided with means for automatically locking said abutment in its operative or inoperative position against movement away from a substance on said support when moved to either of said positions by the operator. thrown out of engagement, with each other, and

2. In a slicing machine,'the combination with a substance support, of a slicing knife, means for moving said support and knife relatively to each other, holding means which does not obstruct the side of said support adjacent the operators position for holding a substance on said support in fixed relation withrespect thereto, and means for moving said holding means relative to said support to advance the substancetoward the cutting side of said support opposite to the side of said support which is first presented to said slicing knife, said abutment having a supporting connection with said support and an operative position at a substantial angle to said support to prevent movement of the substance away from the knife as slices are being out therefrom, and'an inoperative position in which the'same and its supporting connection do not materially obstruct :the side of'said support onwhich it is mounted 0 whereby the operator may release the holding means for the substance and remove the substance from said support or place the substance on said support and cause the holding means to grip the substance without moving said holding means substantially out of its operative position and permitting a movement of the substance onto or off said support by a single directional movement in a direction substantially parallel to the supporting surface of said support and to the cutting plane of the knife.

3. In a slicing machine, the combination with a substance support on which the substance to be sliced is placed, a knife for cutting slices from said substance, means for moving said support and knife relative to each other, an abutment extending substantially perpendicular to the cutting plane of said knife and being arranged on the side thereof which is away from said slicing knife on the loading side thereof, said abutment being movable from a position substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface of said support to a position substantially in parallelism therewith so as to render the operators side of said support substantially unobstructed, a clamp engaging the upper side of the substance on said support and being constructed so as not to obstruct the operators side of said support, means for advancing said substance toward the cutting plane of said knife, said abutment plate being quickly movable from an operative to an inoperative position by manual pressure applied thereto.

4. A slicing machine comprising a supporting table, a feed table slidable relative thereto toward and from a slicing position, a substance engaging abutment member pivoted to said supporting table adjacent said feed table and on the loading side of said feed table to limit the movement of the substance while on said supporting table in a direction toward the loading side of said table,

members having cooperating teeth thereon carried by said abutment member and supporting table, means for yieldingly holding said teeth in engagement with each other, said teeth being constructed to positively prevent movement of said abutment member about its pivot in a direction away from the substance on said table solely by their own action, said members being movable relative to each other when manual pressure is applied thereto in a direction to position said teeth out of engagement with each other after which said abutment can be moved about its axis in a direction away from said substance engaging position.

5. In a slicing machine, the combination with a slicing knife, of a work support, means for moving said knife and work support relatively to each other so that a substance mounted on said support may be presented to said knife and slices be cut therefrom by said knife, and a substance engaging abutment member independent of the work support and mounted thereon on the side of the said support away from said knife and adapted to occupy a position extending upwardly at a substantial angle to said support to act as an abutment for resisting the movement of the substance away from the knife as the knife is cutting through the substance, said abutment member adapted to be manually moved to and from a position in which the same does not obstruct the operators side of the support and permits the operator to insert the substance to be sliced onto said support, said abutment member and support being provided with means for holding the abutment member in its operative or inoperative position against movement away from a substance on said support when moved. to either of said positions.

CORNELIS F. M. VAN BERKEL. 

